Gifted Teens, Big Ideas

Paul and I sadly left Taos, but were welcomed back by Colorado with this, and this, and this:

Thus cheered, we drove to Edwards, Colorado, just outside of Vail, to visit The Bookworm of Edwards. What a treat! This “locally flavored, community minded, independently owned bookstore” was founded in late 1996 and was originally a retro-fitted van that traveled between coffee shops selling new books to “down-valley” readers (It opened in an actual space in 1997).

Nicole Magistro bought the bookstore in 2002, and in 2007 the bookstore moved to a new location, with an addition of a cafe. Today, after ANOTHER expansion (we love to hear about bookstores expanding!!) the bookstore/cafe occupies about 3,000 square feet and hosts upwards of fifty events annually. The Bookworm of Edwards is a beautiful space (here’s Paul browsing the adult stacks and Franny Gustafson, the children’s buyer, in the YA section),

but what we REALLY loved at the Bookworm was their innovative ideas. For example, they run a short-fiction contest each year that all the local school kids enter. The winners of the contest are published into a book that the Bookworm sells. Nicole told me that the award night for the contest is HUGE, with all the kids and their families turning out to celebrate the published authors.

Another very wonderful idea is GIFTED TEENS, a gift-giving program that the Bookworm set up two years ago for grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles; anyone who wants to give the kids in their lives books over the course of an entire year. The lucky recipients of GIFTED TEENS get 15 books a year; one every month, except for their birthday month, when they receive 3 books, and December, when they get 2 books. Subscribers fill out a questionairre about the child, and then Franny, the children’s book buyer, hand-picks each book for each child. The giver receives a personal email containing talking points to enable the giver to connect with the child, and subscriber scan pick paperback, hardcover, or a mix of both. Amazing, right? What a great idea! Its such a great idea, in fact, that adults have begged the Bookworm to start a similar program for adults. In response to the demand, The Bookworm is just now launching “TRUST ME, YOU’LL LOVE THIS,” a book concierge program for adults. This program is less about gift-giving and more about having a book expert hand-select a book every month for you based on your reading taste. Again, genius!

I asked Franny what kids are loving these days and was delighted when she singled out Maile Meloy’s second book for kids, “The Apprentices.” I loved the first book in this new series, “The Apothecary,” but haven’t yet read the second one – so, a new book for the Subaru Library!

We left Colorado after a thankfully brief stop (see below)

and then hit the road, from the mountains to the plains:

What’s our next stop? Well here’s a hint:

We met some amazing kids, fell in love with a new city, and visited a bookstore with THREE working fireplaces (and couches for curling up in front of each one)! See you on the next stop of the Indie Bookstore Roadtrip!